Council catch up IT is time for the council to catch up with community needs for housing by allowing tiny houses and temporary accommodation to be constructed on farms and marae. The council was meant to be a community organisation. Not a business. People can no longer afford traditional houses and will make do with less than the optimum for the sake of having somewhere to call home. Ananemu Te Kūiti
Rubbish rage THE Ōtorohanga district had employed Lillian to pick up roadside rubbish. She has done an amazing job for years but has recently retired. So now the rubbish is starting to be noticeable on the roadsides again. Come on Ōtorohanga people keep it in your car until you get home or to a rubbish bin instead of throwing it out the car window. Keep our countryside clean. S Willison Ōtorohanga
Whose rights? IN response to Andy Campbell’s article [last week] “Call to reconsider dog ban”, David La Varis seems to have the opinion that his right to have his dog accompany him for coffee etc in the main street is superior to my right to not have dogs present when I or my friends have coffee in town! Dogs and other pets are fine and have their place but amongst the general populace is not the place. My rights to not have dogs/pets around me when having coffee are as important as David’s is to have a dog. With rights comes responsibility and unfortunately, not all owners accept that responsibility so bylaws exist to ensure the few do not overrule the others rights. And yes, we are past dog owners, and our children own dogs – responsibly. P Davies Te Kūiti
Not a place for dogs I WAS at the Hamilton Gardens recently and had morning tea at the cafe there along with quite a number of others who were enjoying the lovely morning. I was most disconcerted when a woman came right into the cafe, past my table, with two dogs, a greyhound and a similar sized large, long-haired dog. I like dogs. I own one. But they have no place near food, especially big dogs whose wagging tails could inadvertently send a hot coffee onto a child, or the leash of one lying on the ground could trip up an elderly person. I have no problem with them being leashed in public areas. But please – never in a cafe setting. P Boyed Te Kūiti
One chance to keep going IT seems to be a recurring theme these days, and one which is growing, where have all the volunteers gone? The community-minded people who were Plunket committee, PTA and school sport coaches, Lions, Rotary members, sports committee members, St Johns? The list goes on… It seems that every organisation, voluntary group or committee is struggling to get members and ours is no exception. Friends of Hillview started life as the fundraising arm of our community-owned retirement home. As time has gone on, changes to the funding and charitable grant areas mean we are unable to apply for most without being in direct competition with Hillview itself so we must reduce to op shops, raffles and the revitalised 4WD Safari. Our committee has, in recent years, worked with the ethos of ‘nice to have’ – funding requests for the betterment and enrichment of the lives of our cherished elderly community members. Don’t get me wrong, we have funded heaps, from heating panels in bedrooms, shower beds, special mattresses, Christmas functions, renovations, sun umbrellas, kitchen equipment and tablecloths to name just a few, and continue to be proud and happy to be able to do so. Having said this, as with many other committees, we have found ourselves at an impasse — with 95% of our committee resigning, Friends of Hillview will either go into recess or wind up at the impending AGM unless a new group of community-minded volunteers step forward to continue the work of the dozens of people who have gone before. This is both a call to arms and an acknowledgement of the many people who have put time and effort into Friends of Hillview in the past. If it is the latter, I salute you all. If the former, our AGM is on December 4, 5pm at the Te Kūiti Lyceum Club. I would urge anybody wanting to see this committee continue to attend. Tracey Neal Chair, Friends of Hillview Fundraisers Trust Te Kūiti
